31.3.14

Without the right tools you can never achieve the best finish for your make-up. Step in EcoTools, a fantastic line of make-up brushes and tools from Paris Presents Incorporated.

EcoTools offers a collection of cosmetic accessories, hair brushes and bath and body products featuring renewable, animal cruelty-free and recyclable materials. In a continued effort to give back, EcoTools has founded the Living Beautifully Project, which donates to organizations that represent a blend of green living and beauty.

29.3.14

This week, President Obama travelled to the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, the Vatican, and Saudi Arabia to mobilize the international community. Take a behind the scenes look at the President's trip.

The First Lady also continued her journey around China, where she visited the No.7 school in Chengdu to hear how technology is being used to provide education. She also participated in a Tai Chi class and also visited the Chengdu Panda Base!

22.3.14

The First Lady U.S. tries out the remote control mechanical robot next to Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping as they visit the Beijing Normal School, a school that prepares students to attend university abroad.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan show the way to U.S. first lady Michelle Obama after a photograph session at the Diaoyutai State guest house.

U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama delivers a speech at the Stanford Center at Peking University.

22.3.14

A watch is an essential item for me, much like a simple striped tee or a perfect pair of ballet flats. So when JORD contacted me to try out one of their wooden watches I was overjoyed!

JORD's watches are made from 100% natural wood, and I selected the gorgeous Fieldcrest Series watch in natural green. For you watch aficionados out there, the Fieldcrest offers Citizen Miyota movements and has stainless steel hands and a single action locking clasp. Each of JORD's watches are designed to be splash proof, but due to the nature of the materials, do not submerge it into anything wet! The watch is so light to wear and it complements my other pieces of jewellery that I wear daily. Plus it smells amazing!

There are plenty of models to tempt you from the Ely to the Sully, and the Delmar to the 746. One lucky reader will get the chance to win one of these gorgeous watches by entering via the widget below.

22.3.14

This week, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to 24 Army veterans in recognition of their valor during major combat operations in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Each veteran honored today had already received the Distinguished Service Cross – the nation's second-highest military award – but 19 of them were previously overlooked for the Medal of Honor due to their racial or ethnic backgrounds. The ceremony follows a 12-year Pentagon review, ordered by Congress, of past discrimination in the military.

This week, the First Lady travelled to China for a week long official visit, and the White House is encouraging young people across the US to join her. During her trip, Mrs. Obama will meet with students at the Stanford Center at Peking University, Beijing Normal School, and Chengdu No. 7 High School to discuss the power and importance of education, both in her own life and in the lives of young people in both countries. She'll also visit historical and cultural sites, from the Great Wall to the Terra Cotta Warriors.

You can participate by interacting with the following:

The First Lady's travel journal: Each day, the First Lady will post a daily travel blog, complete with videos and photos.

Podcast series: In an audio series, First Lady Michelle Obama will share some of the interesting facts about Chinese history and culture as she experiences it.

Ask the First Lady: In the weeks leading up to the trip, hundreds of young people submitted questions for the First Lady. During the visit, Mrs. Obama will record video responses and engage directly with young people on social media. Use the hashtag #FLOTUSinChina to discuss the trip and ask questions on Twitter or Instagram.

Follow on social media: You can follow along through the First Lady's Twitter and Instagram accounts.

20.3.14

Author's Own

Today is the International Day of Happiness and it's got me thinking- what makes me happy?

Life moves so fast that often you miss the moments to step back and appreciate what you have that is good. My day job is in a fast paced industry, and after a day on the computer, I come home to clock more hours in front of my screen. Whilst many people would consider this hell, I enjoy it. Without that, there wouldn't be this very blog!

Blogging makes me happy- it gives me a chance to write about what interests me and what I like, as well as hearing from readers across the globe. Many friendships have been formed from blogging and social media, and I have been fortunate to have access to many opportunities that otherwise would not have come my way.

Writing for The Huffington Post also makes me happy. I get a thrill every time I hit publish and my latest interview or article is on the web, there for all to see. Nothing beats seeing your name in print and the happy feeling never grows old.

My friends and family make and keep me happy. They keep me grounded and in check, share their love and advice and most important, their honesty. Friendships and relationships definitely make the world a richer place.

I've many reasons to be happy, and these outweigh the moments when I feel a little under the weather or when I doubt myself.

Look for the good- and happiness in the everyday moments. It's so important!

17.3.14

SurveyMonkey

Surveys are an important part of blogging, and a way to really find out what your readers are thinking. I'm delighted to share this great guest post from Kayte Korwitts at SurveyMonkey on how to use survey software effectively. Read on for some top tips!

What are the benefits of using survey software to develop blog readership?

Utilizing data collected through an online survey can help you learn more about your current audience to increase their readership and attract new readers. It’s important to know your audience in order to develop the most relevant, compelling content. Launching a survey is like tapping directly into what’s really going on in your readers’ heads and at the very least, can help you develop a roadmap in how to get there.

The content that we create for the SurveyMonkey blog revolves around topics like survey tips and best practices, customer success stories and use cases, media mentions, product updates and original content generated from survey results. Surveys are a content-generating machine. Sure, surveys are a great way to gather information about your followers—their likes and dislikes, challenges and what they want. But they’re also a great resource for creating original content.

What are some case studies of how SurveyMonkey has been successfully utilised to determine the preferences of a blog’s readers?

We’ve got a couple great customer examples that use SurveyMonkey for that very purpose. Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop and blogger, Elizabeth Jayne Liu of Flourish in Progress have both relied on SurveyMonkey for their annual Readers Surveys.

How can women use surveys to build businesses generally?

Melissa Kim from Minted.com uses SurveyMonkey not only to gather insights, but to converse with customers and designers alike. Minted is an online paper goods store with a global community of graphic designers. In business for over two years, they don’t have a lot of resources but SurveyMonkey allows them to do quite a bit to better understand their customers—who they are, what they want, likes and dislikes about Minted’s products and services.

Specifically, they’ve used SurveyMonkey to measure customer satisfaction, to gather feedback after a purchase, to understand why a customer abandoned a shopping cart, to evaluate a potential partner program and to gain insights from their design community. They see our surveys as a conversation with their community on how they can improve.

One of the biggest on-going decisions Minted makes from its survey results is what category (or categories) to expand into next. They ask their customers, “What product categories were you shopping for today?” and include an “Other” response. The “Other” option is gold to them! They saw a high number of customers request baby shower invitations, so Minted ran a design contest for baby shower card designs as a result and launched that category on its site.

They also have an on-going exit survey from their site that receives thousands of responses a month. It has helped improve site functionality, evaluate the effectiveness of marketing initiatives, and learn more about customers’ decision making processes. For example, they learned how far in advance wedding customers start their shopping process for invitations, so it has helped Minted better tailor its site and email messages to meet their needs.

How is the SurveyMonkey software developing to keep up with the demands of bloggers?

SurveyMonkey Audience has millions of people ready to take your surveys. With Audience you can design your own survey, pick your custom audience, launch your project and start seeing results immediately. Whether you want to reach smartphone owners, video game players, moms, or the general U.S. population, you can select from over 30 targeting options.

Survey Programming & Design Service
When you need a little guidance to get your survey just right, we’ve got a team of experts who are here to help. Our survey design services are available to anyone in a GOLD or PLATINUM plan for an extra fee.

Our service starts by helping you create an online survey from questions you’ve written. We’ll program your questions into SurveyMonkey, help pick the right question types and formats, and set up advanced logic. For SurveyMonkey Audience customers, we offer even more comprehensive survey programming, including: identifying objectives, finding people who fit your specifications to take your survey, custom branding, and questionnaire writing.

The SurveyMonkey App for iPhone®and iPad®
Whether you’re new to SurveyMonkey or have an existing account, our mobile survey app makes it easy to create surveys, send them to anyone, and monitor your results on the go. Available on the App Store℠, our intuitive app can help anyone with an iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod touch® get the answers they need.

The SurveyMonkey App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is a perfect way to create surveys and monitor survey results. It lets you take the most-trusted survey platform with you, so you can get powerful results anywhere:
•Create and manage surveys and data with ease with our straightforward mobile interface
•Access your survey results wherever you are, whenever you need them
•Collect survey responses through email, your website, or social media
•Get real-time results as they roll in
•Use our powerful analytics tool to turn data into insights by filtering, comparing, and analyzing results
•Get reliable data when you choose from more than 160 expert-certified survey templates
•Gain peace of mind knowing we use the most advanced technology to keep your data safe

15.3.14

Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

Earlier this week, President Obama stopped by a Gap store in New York to highlight the company's commitment to raising the minimum wage, as well as doing a little shopping for his wife and daughters. President Obama is asking Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Find out more information here.

With time running out to register for healthcare, the White House released a fun video targeting geeks. #GeeksGetCovered is encouraging tech-savvy individuals across the US to share via social what affordable healthcare coverage means to them. Watch the video below:

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On Wednesday, the First Lady joined the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Kermit the frog during a screening of Disney's 'Muppets Most Wanted' for military children and their families.

For this appearance she wore a wrap dress with a white patterned geometric detail.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

On Wednesday, the President was joined by female members of Congress to discuss the women's agenda for 2014. The White House released some fascinating data on women in the workforce which can be viewed here.

13.3.14

The new D'Orsay pump from Jack Rogers is the must have shoe for spring and summer! The rounded silhouette and sole-skimming cutouts on the sides flatter the foot, and truly make this pair a versatile pick for dressy or casual occasions. The textured raffia construction is finished with leather whipstitch trim for the brand's signature accent. Click here to find out more and to purchase these great pumps!

12.3.14

Lillybee

I love stripes and my collection of striped tees are always in constant rotation. So when Lillybee U sent me a pair of tailgate toes flats to try I was in stripe heaven!

Lillybee U is the brainchild of Kassie Rempel, an admitted shoe-freak and born-and-bred Carolina fan. Kassie founded an e-commerce shoe boutique called SimplySoles, and sold it in 2012 to focus on her new passion – footwear for fans. The line and label wouldn’t exist without the guardianship and stewardship of Kassie’s partner, Lisa Palmer.

Both Kassie and Lisa separately founded companies called Lillybee. It was their love of their independent lines that first brought them together. After speaking about it for so many years, in 2012 they finally fused their knowledge, passion, and experience into one joint and single company, Lillybee LLC. Lillybee is the first of the Lillybee brand collections to be sold through a wholesale distribution strategy providing this unique product option to fine collegiate shops, on and off campus bookstores, fan shops and speciality boutiques. The winning goal is to help outfit the millions of die-hard, yet fashionable female fans cheer on their team in style.

The shoes come in every colour stripe imaginable and you can add cute coloured bows on your toes to match the pumps- or clash to make a statement! All major schools and sororities are covered and there is free shipping on all orders for US customers!

My red, white and blue pumps are perfect now the warmer weather is FINALLY approaching and I can't wait to wear them!

10.3.14

House of Cards Facebook

Much has been written about Season 2 of the epic House of Cards, and I felt it was only right that I added my thoughts to the mix!

I watched Season 2 last weekend, and finished it in two days. Whilst I don't usually 'binge watch' television series on this occasion it was totally appropriate! (The only other time I have done this is with American Horror Story.) Season 1 had some pretty gobsmacking moments and the new series didn't disappoint.

I won't give too many spoilers away just in case you haven't watched it yet, but Claire Underwood really came into her own as a character with such a strong and important storyline- plus her style was as chic as ever! Frank schemes to new levels, but it all seemed so natural! It was great to find out more about characters like Freddy and learn of their backstory, and new characters including Jackie Sharp. I think I'm most looking forward to seeing how her character develops in the new series which is currently in production.

Season 2 really didn't disappoint, and whilst I was glad to see some of the characters go (particularly in the first episode,) I can't wait to see what Season 3 brings!

Have you seen Season 2 of House of Cards yet? Let me know what you think in the comment box below!

9.3.14

AERIN

Regular readers will know I am a big fan of Aerin Lauder and her lifestyle brand, AERIN. It's so exciting that her fragrance mini site has launched this week, and gives you the chance to create really cool monogram pictures inspired by the five fragrances in the range!

You could spend hours on the site, learning about the fragrances, the inspiration behind their creation and having fun making monogrammed pictures with each of the different fragrances in the range.

I created two pictures- one inspired by Lilac Path, and the other inspired by Ikat Jasmine. Check them out below!

The great thing about the site is that you can share your designs on Paperless Post, and send them to friends and family as e-cards. They are sure to be the most stylish around! And for a limited time you can win $3,500 worth of AERIN products when you design a monogram picture on the site!